Liberal Democrat councillors in Cornwall have called for the Government to provide the £6million needed for work to start on the Stadium for Cornwall to prevent the council having to find the money.

The Stadium for Cornwall, which is planned for a site near Threemilestone, would be used by the Cornish Pirates rugby team, Truro City Football Club and Truro and Penwith College.

However the partners went cap in hand to Cornwall Council to ask whether it would be willing to provide the last £6m needed so work could start on the stadium for it to be complete in time for the 2019/20 season.

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It was originally envisaged that the stadium would be funded through the partners and with money raised through development close to the stadium site. However, that development has stalled and so the stadium team has approached the council.

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The council previously stated that it would not be providing any funding to the stadium but following the request it was agreed that the full council would get to vote on whether it should be granted when it meets in April.

How the Stadium for Cornwall could look

But in 2015 the then Prime Minister David Cameron pledged his support for the stadium and said that if money was an issue then the Government would help to bridge the gap.

Now, ahead of the Cabinet debate next Wednesday (March 28), Liberal Democrat councillors have called on the Government to fulfil that promise.

Frequent visitor to Cornwall David Cameron, pictured at Polzeath, pledged to help bring a stadium to Cornwall while he was Prime Minister

Leader of the Lib Dem group at County Hall, Malcolm Brown, said: "In the spring statement last week the Chancellor declared that there is now light at the end of the austerity tunnel and so we hold firm to our demand that the Conservative Government stays true to the pledge made to the people of Cornwall with regards to the Stadium and funds the gap.

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"Should the Conservative Government continue to renege on this promise, or fall anyway short of funding the full £6m required from the public purse, this would leave the council, who, like many councils across Britain, are struggling financially to maintain the most basic services, with a very difficult decision."

An artist's impression of the proposed Stadium for Cornwall

Dulcie Tudor, Lib Dem councillor for Threemilestone and Gloweth, added: "We believe a stadium would be an asset to Cornwall however we have consistently over many weeks and months asked the Government to deliver on the promise made by the previous Prime Minister David Cameron when he said 'If a Stadium for Cornwall takes some extra money we (the government) will make the money available'."

Cllr Tudor said she also wanted to see robust analysis of the long-term future of the project and a long-term, sustainable business case.

She said: "Until then, especially in this climate of savage cuts to the council's budget, there can be no reasoned argument to risk any amount of Cornwall's taxpayers' money on a vision for sport Cornwall however dear the dream may be."